The upcoming season of the Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL) will witness matches being held at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) and Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) for the first time since the tournament moved to a standalone window in 2019.
Cricket Australia recently unveiled the schedule for the ninth season, revealing that the final weekend of the league season, commencing on October 19, will take place at MCG, SCG, and Adelaide Oval. Alistair Dobson, CA’s General Manager of Big Bash Leagues, expressed the significance of hosting matches at top-tier venues, citing the strong turnout at the ongoing Women’s Ashes.
“The core of the WBBL sits in those iconic venues like North Sydney Oval and Allan Border Field, so the WBBL will continue to be played there long term, but the opportunity to put on some big events is exciting for us,” Dobson said.
The WBBL season will consist of 59 games, including 10 neutral matches, and will culminate with the final on December 2, coinciding with the men’s World Cup.
“We will judge the success of those games in different ways… we’ll work hard on driving crowds, but it’s not the only measure of success for us. We’re seeing around the world at the moment that when you put great cricket on in big, famous stadiums, people want to turn up; we’re seeing it in the UK at the moment, we saw it in the WPL.”
